Ladle-hook.



K: CL HOXIE. `LADLE HOOK. APPLICATION FILED Nov. I8. 1912.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.o't' 'Iinncsota. have invented certain new and l la? KINNEY C. HOXE, OF DULUTH, MNNESOTA.

i ,esente Application filed 'November 18, 193.2.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19,1914. Serial No. 732.035.

k13e it known that l, lix'xnv (l. Hours. a citizen ot the Vnitcd States, and resident of Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State nsci'nl lmprovi-ments in Ladlol-looks, or" which the following' is a specification. I My invention comprises an improved form ot' device tor connecting a. crane to a ladle, and particularly adapted for use in mills where very large and heavy ladies are used l Vfor conveying' molten metal. i In ordinary practice a ladle is provided with trnnnions on opposite sides and when if' is desired to transport the ladle, open hook` ot' the gooseneck type carried by a crane,y are swung` under the trnnnions so that the l ladle may he raised. lt is evident that in an open hook or' this type, the strain is all to one side ot the center line of the pull, and that such a hook is subjected to very severe transverse stresses. resultingY in breakage with consequent disastrous' results due, to the i release of a large quantity of molten metal. The purpose ot' my invention is to provide a ladle hook or hail ot such construction that these transverse stresses are avoided and the vertical pull or stress is taken by two practically vertical members.

lnhandling' a large ladle :full of molten metal it is desirable that the design of the ladle hooks or hails shall be such that the crancman overhead may be able to secure the engagementot the ladle hooks. or bails, with the trnnnions on the ladle without any person havin;Y to place hooks in position, or approach the ladlciul of hot metal. Consequently, the engaging and disengaging of the hooks or hails from the trunnions must he accomplished by two 'motions-tiret. a motion toward the ladle to get the hooks beneath the trnnnious, and second, a vertical motion to engage the hooks, with the trnnnions. lllhen it is desired to release the ladle the operations described are reversed. l have therefore devised a ladle hook carried by the crane and operated by a craneman at a distance` the parts being arranged whereby the stress onthewhool is almost enf tirely tensile. the bending tendency ofthe `nooseneck hook being overcome.

My invention willbe more readily underl stood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein.

Figure l is a side elevation of a ladle and theline mi? of Fig.

` truck l2.

:repair of depending crane hooks or engaginp; elements ready for engagement with the ladle` trunnlons; Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation ot' one of the hooks; Fig. 3 is a section on the line or" Fig. 2; Fig". l is a bottom plan view otl one ot the hooks; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged section on showing a ladle trunmon in place, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation ot' a modification of the-construction heretotore described.

Referring' more particularly to the drawings it will be seen trat a ladle l0, having trnnnions 1l, is rested upon a support or 'The trunnions are provided with peripheral flanges. 13, cooperating with a parl on the ladle hook in order to prevent the endwise removal or" said hook, as will be later described. The ladle hooks 14C, of which there are two, are pivoted at l5 to a spacingl .trame work lli, carrying pulleys l?, on which the crane cables 18 are mounted. The ladle hooks ll are provided at their lower ends with enlarged elongated loops or eyes lf). Both the looped portion and the shank are constructed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of their pivots l5 and are mounted oppositely: that is, with the angles oppositely disposed, both of the loops facing out vardly. These loops are spaced in order that the outer strap of each loop will clear the widestJ point of the trunnions of the ladle. whereas the inner straps are considerably within the plane ofthe trunnions.

lVithin the base of the loop l mount a casting` 20, having depending legs which straddle the loop. These legs are apertured to accommodate the bolts 2l, by means of which a bar 22 is united to the two legs and secures the casting rigidly to the loop. The casting is provided with guides 28 on its bottom and side walls at the pointwhere it lies between the straps of the loop. The portion lying within the loop is of different heights, one portion 24 extending up substantially a half of the extent ot the loop whereas the lower extension 25 is shorter and is terminated on a horizontal line passing through the center from whichthe arc 'forming the lower edge of the loop/is struck.

The reaso for this will be obvious when it @auf is desir,y o insertl or remove the Casting i0. In order to accomplish such insertion or removal, the casting is disconnected from the bar 22 and raised until the depending legs 20 are within the plane ol the loop. The casting is then rotated to the right as viewed in rig. e, man um flanges 23, Ostuni Sides of the casting are free from the side members of the loop, whereupon the casting may be Worked out of the opening withease. A bearing or cradle portion 26 is formed integral With the casting 20, andl is angularly positioned with respect to the loop and the remainder of the casting; that is, the aXis of the bearing is coincident with the axis of the trunnions 11 and at right angles to the pivot pin 15. As a part of the bearing I provide the extension having a groove 2.7 therein, which receives the flange i3 of the trunnion and prevents longitudinal movement of the parts'when associated. This extension or groove 27 has only a quarter of a circle, one side, therefore of the bearing 26 being open.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. l that the hooks are lowered by the rane to a point where the upper or unobstructed portion of the loops 19 is opposite the trunnions 1l; the hooks are then moved sidewise until the trunnions enter the enlarged portions of the openings whereupon the hooks are lilted, the trunnions seatingin the bearing 2U, and the iiange 13 in the groove 27. The oodle is thus securely held and may be moved as desired. The disconnecting action is the reverse ot" that described for connecting, all of the actions being performed Without the assistance of the Workmen near the ladle.

ln Fig. G I have showna modification in which a U-shaped casting is employed, both the hooks being integral with a bail which may be attached to the crane cables. In

, this construction the bail has an upper portion Q8, and depending legs or loops 29, having an offset 30 therein. The operation is identical with that of the construction heretofore described. The former construction is preferable in that a renewable casting forming a bearing is provided. As this part becomes wornit may be removed and renewed without discarding the hooks. In the construction of Fig. (i the trunnions 3l of the ladle are Iprovided with outer peripheral flanges 32 to prevent thc possible separation of the legs of the bail.

In the appended claims a seat is understood to include a bearing portion for the trunnions of a ladle, it being immaterial whether such seat portion is integral with rosafm l combination of a spacingmember, legs de-4 pending downwardly therefrom, said legs being provided with slots at their lower end, the material at one side of each slot being laterally displaced, seats or bearings being provided at the bottoms of the slots, the horizontal distance between the bearing portions of the slots being less than the distance between the displaced portions of the material surrounding the slots, substantially asV described.

2. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a spacing member, legs deloops in their lower ends said loo s providing seats for the trunnions of a adle, portions of the material coniposino' the loops being angularly displaced, said displaced portions being located a horizontal distance apart greater than the distance separating the bearing portions of said loops, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of an upper spacing member,` legs depending from said member and having looped lower ends, said loops providing alined sea-ts `tor the trunnions of a ladle, one side member of each loop being displaced laterally beyond its bearing portion whereby to permit the entrance ot ladle trunnions to the loop, substantially as'described.

4. In a device of the class described, the colnbination oi a spacing member, legs depending therefrom, said legs having slots at their lower ends providing allned bearmgs,

scribed.

KINNEY C. IIOKIE. Witnesses EDWARD H. IVINDOM, EDW. B. RYAN, Jr. 

